Swimming Lessons
by hookedontwi
Summary: Submission to Ninapolitan's DILF contest. Teacher Bella/ Coach & Dad Emmett


Ninapolitan's D.I.L.F. Contest

Story Title:Swimming Lessons

Author:Hookedontwi

Pairing:Emmett/Bella

**All Human **

SMeyer own the twilight stuff, of course.

***

"Put your papers away and line up for lunch!"

The kids hopped up out of their desks and began scurrying around.

"Push in your chairs!"

Metal screeched against linoleum.

"Get your lunchboxes. If you need to buy your lunch, or if you're getting anything from the snack line, get in the line on the left. If you have your lunch, line up in the right. Quiet through the hallways. Line leaders take your places. Off we go!"

I walked the two short lines around the corner and down the hallway to the lunchroom. The kids scattered to their seats or to the cafeteria line, and I headed off to the teachers' table.

I always enjoyed this part of the day when I could have a few moments to myself to think. As I munched on my cold grilled chicken salad I'd brought from home, I checked my personal email on my blackberry.

I had sale ads, credit card bills, a few joke forwards from friends and one from my sister, Alice.

Hiya Belly!

I hope you check your email during lunch. Sam and Emily both have after school activities today, I could use some help getting them around. Emily has dance across town, so I was hoping you could take Sam to soccer. They practice at the middle school. I'd really appreciate it. Usually Jasper and I have it covered fine, but just called to tell me that he was going to be home late from work today.

Let me know either way!

Al

I smiled as I read the email and quickly picked out my reply.

Ali,

You know I'm addicted to this crackBerry. Of course I'll help! I love spending time with the wondertwins. I'll pick Sam up from his class and he can hang out in my classroom while I wrap up a few things. I'll grab Emily too if you like so you can get her from me. If you just want to get her from out front, that's fine too, of course.

What time does practice start?

B

Eighteen of my twenty-two minutes had passed already so I packed up my things and then checked for a reply, just in case.

I'll get her from the car line. Practice starts at 3:30. Come by my house after? I'm cooking!

Mmm. Home cooked food.

Sounds good sweetie. See you then.

I retrieved my class from the lunchroom exit, and we marched back to class.

The afternoon passed quickly, as it always does. I loved my job. Sure, I spent some time settling arguments over which Pokémon would win in a battle, and I wiped my fair share of runny noses, but the kids' ability to learn never failed to astound me. On a Monday morning they may never have heard of the concept of the multiple states of matter, for example, but by Friday, they would walk around telling each other that the water fountain itself was solid, but the water which came out was liquid, and if the liquid stayed on the top for long enough, it'd turn into steam, which was gas. Their love of learning was my fuel.

I walked over to Mrs. Platt's room. "Hello Ms. Swan, how are you today?"

"I'm great! I get to spend some time with my lovely nephew this afternoon." I beamed as he ran over to me and hugged me.

"How ya doing Sammy?" I kissed his rosy cheek and bent down to hug him.

"I'm Good. Do you have any snacks? Mommy always gives me a snack before practice."

"Let's go back to my classroom and look." I waived bye to my colleague, and we went back to my room across the hall.

After his snack, Sam and I hopped into my car, and we headed over to the middle school field. I pulled into the parking lot which was filled with minivans and monster sized SUVs. My little Honda seemed so out of place here. I shook my head as I noticed there was only one other non-soccermom vehicle here, a large Jeep.

Sam hopped out and took off towards the Jeep. I quickly locked the car and took off after him.

When I finally caught up to him, he looked a little sad. "I was hoping to see Paul, I guess he's already out there." His pout was adorable.

"Well, let's get out there ourselves then." He started to take off again. "Wait, Sam! At least walk with me until we get to the edge of the field. Okay?"

Unfortunately, I hadn't been planning on this, so I didn't have a change of shoes on me; it was going to be slow going through the grass in my heels.

When we reached the edge of the soccer field, Sam looked up at me hopefully. I smiled and nodded. He took off running.

I watched him converge on a small crowd of boys. There was a man nearby, setting up goal posts and placing cones around the field. I supposed that he had to be the coach. Several women sat off to the side, huddled together. Those must be the moms.

I made my way to a bench near the group of women and sat down. My heels were caked with dirt, but I didn't worry about that. They'd clean. From this closer angle, I resurveyed my surroundings.

The ten women on the bleachers were near clones of each other. Most of them wore pastel colored Polo shirts. Many wore visors to block the sun. I tried to picture Alice amongst these women and just couldn't.

"Looks like little Ms. Sunshine isn't coming today." The one in pink said. "Hum, I wonder if that sexy husband of hers is holding her hostage," said the one in cornflower blue. I wondered if they meant Alice; she was missing, and Jasper was really good looking. "I don't know…" Started the one in yellow, "She looks like she'd be too worried about her hair to really show him a good time." Okay, now that pissed me off. "Her kid is here. Look," said the one in beige, and they all craned their necks over to where Sam was. "So her kid is here, but she isn't. That must be nice. Rich husband gets her a nanny. I wonder just how much that nanny does." That was low. Catty bitches.

I looked over to Sam. He was talking with one of the kids in my class. Paul McCarty. That must've been the Paul that he'd been so excited to see. I'd met Paul's mom before when she'd come in for an open house. I thought she was really friendly. It surprised me she'd be friends with this herd of cattle. I looked around again, but she wasn't here.

"Aunt Bella!" Sam shouted as he ran over towards me. Paul was trailing along behind him. "Aunt Bella! Paul says you're his teacher. Are you his teacher?"

He looked so adorable, all excited. "Yep, sure am. How's it going Paul?"

He beamed at me. "It's so awesome that your Sam's aunt. I didn't know teachers could be aunts."

I laughed. How cute was that? "Well there ya go, learn something new every day."

"Boys! Let's get going!" The coach's voice was loud and strong.

"Dad's calling. Gotta go!" Sam and Paul ran over towards the coach. I guessed that explained why Paul's mom wasn't there. She didn't really need to be since his dad was the coach.

The coach was looking at us, his arms splayed out to indicate the expanse of the field around him. He was wearing a gray tee shirt, navy blue shorts and a light colored hat. I couldn't really see any details. He was big. I couldn't tell if it was fat or muscle. I guessed him to be 6'5" or so.

I could hardly see the kids from my spot with the soccer wenches, so I left. While I was gathering my things, one of the boys, Eric, ran over, presumably to see his mom. When he saw me, he stuttered a little, clearly shocked by my presence. "What are you doing here, Ms. Swan?"

"Nice to see you again, Eric. I'm here with my nephew, Sam. Have fun. Oh, and Eric, please try to remember to study for the test tomorrow. See ya!" I ignored the small gasp from the harpies.

He blanched, turned and walked over to the one in green who was still gaping, horrified. Clearly it had dawned on her that she had been badmouthing her precious baby's teacher. Ha! Served her right.

I waived to them and smiled sweetly before I grabbed my purse and walked off towards the kids.

Unfortunately, there were no benches on the side of the field where the kids were, so I had to sit on the ground. Normally, this would've been fine, but today I was wearing a skirt and heels, of course. I decided the only way was to kneel down and then wrap my legs together to the side. I could lean on the ground with a hand; that wouldn't be too bad.

I watched the kids running drills, dribbling around cones. After several minutes of this, the coach declared it was time for a break, and all of the kids headed over to the large cooler about ten feet away from me.

The coach followed after them, and I got my first real look.

He was big, no doubt. It was pure muscle though. .God. Being low to the ground, I watched as his feet approached, and my eyes drifted upwards, over his tan legs, noticing how they flexed with each step. Just above his knees, his legs disappeared under the cover of his shorts. My eyes drifted up further and stopped just a bit too long at a bulge below his waistline, surely he must've been wearing a cup. That was too much bulge. Right? I caught myself staring at his crotch and forced myself to continue upwards; I noticed how the shirt hung freely around his midsection, no hint of belly. It clung to his shoulders and chest, the Dartmouth logo darkened by his sweat. My eyes finally swept up to his face.

His full lips curved upwards into a smile. Dimples adorned his cheeks which were covered by his afternoon stubble. His eyes were the most magnificent oceanic blue.

The blue eyes and dimples were close. They were close, and they had caught me checking him out. Shit.

I ripped my eyes away from him, desperately seeking out Sam. He was drinking his water and talking to a few boys. No help there.

When I looked back up, he was now only a few feet from me. Double shit.

"I, err…uhh, hi," I stammered. "I'm um, Sam's aunt."

"Nice to meet you, Um. I'm Emmett McCarty, coach and Paul's dad." The dimples were engaged again.

I shook my head at my own utter stupidity. "Maybe I should try that again, I'm Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."

"Bella Swan, Paul's teacher?" Recognition flashed across his face.

"The one and the same. He's a great kid. Don't think I've ever met you before, though." Teacher, Swan. You're a fucking teacher, pull it together.

"Yeah, no you haven't. His mom does most of the parent/teacher stuff. " His voice sounded sad.

Fuck. I'd been caught ogling a parent. A married parent. I am officially a fucking moron.

"Dad!" Paul ran over, "Can I spend the night with Sam on Saturday? I know it's your weekend, but he's having a sleepover party, and…"

He ruffled Paul's hair. "Sure, kid. I'll just need to check with his parents." Paul smiled widely and ran away shouting, "He said yes!!" Sam high-fived him when he reached the group.

Emmett and I both laughed at their excitement.

"So you're Sam's aunt..." He began, reinitiating the conversation.

"Yep. My sister is his mom." I looked anywhere but at him. Looking at him was too dangerous.

"Ah. Well, I gotta get this circus rolling again."

I nodded and he trotted off, which gave me time to admire his backside without running the risk of being caught again.

His shirt clung to his back some, and I could see how narrow his waist was compared to how broad his shoulders were. And his ass was spectacular. I wanted to run my hands over it. I was sure if I did I'd be forced to lick him from collarbone to jaw while squeezing those tight buns with both hands, nails digging in just a little as I rose up on my toes to lick his earlobe…. Whoa! Where the fuck did that come from?? Shit, I needed to get my head out of the gutter. I was at a fucking kids' soccer practice for Christ sake. My own frigging nephew's practice, at that. Alice would kill me if she knew that I just sat here fantasizing about the coach…Emmett.

Emmett…Emmett…me moaning out his name as he hovered above me, a drop of sweat trailing down his nose as he moved over me, his muscled arms by my shoulders, cords in his neck straining with his every thrust…

I had to stop that. I shook my head and looked up again, trying to find Sam.

Emmett was looking at me. His arms were crossed over his chest, his body facing the kids, but as I looked at him, he shook his head once, smiled and turned to watch the kids again.

I tried to keep my attention on Sam who had wandered off a little from the group, chasing an errant ball. Once he caught up with it, he picked it up, but Emmett whistled to him; he promptly dropped it again, working it back to the field with his feet instead. I guessed the no-hands rule applied out there too.

Hands….Emmett's hands…running down my arms, over my neck, squeezing my ass, ghosting over my thighs, entering me…I heard myself moan a little. This was getting truly ridiculous. Maybe this stupid sitting position was pooling blood in my ass and starving my brain. I needed to get up.

I moved to a kneeling position and dusted off my hands and my ass. As I was about to wrench a leg around to finish getting up, a large hand appeared, palm extended.

I placed my hand in his and looked up. Emmett looked serious, introspective.

He gently pulled me up and held my hand as I got my heels released from the dirt so I was standing evenly again.

"Thank you," I said quietly, looking into my favorite aquatic hued eyes.

"My pleasure." He turned and jogged back to the boys, turning his head back once.

My phone chirped, indicating that I'd received a text message – Alice.

How's my boy?-A

He's fine, just got back from chasing a ball – B

How's my favorite sister? –A

How should I know? J/k. Fine, enjoying myself. Had a nice convo. –B

With one of those harpies? How is that even possible? –A

No, silly. Those bitches can go to hell. I won't even tell you what they were saying. The coach. He seemed nice. –B

A few minutes passed before she texted back.

Nice, huh? Don't you mean gorgeous? Sexy? Ripped? –A

Well, yes, yes I did but I had to play it cool, or she'd never let me live this down.

I guess so. His son is in my class, Paul. One of Sam's friends, it seems. –B

Yep he is. Did Sam ask him to the party this weekend? –A

Yep, Emmett said he'd have to check with you guys first. –B

Oh, so we're on a first name basis, are we??? Well, be sure to tell EMMETT the party is legit, and Paul is most certainly invited. It's going to be a pool party, and parents are welcome to stay, if they want. –A

Will do. –B

You have to be here too. Mandatory. I need the help. –A

I should've seen that one coming.

Kk –B

Practice was ending, and Sam came over to where I was standing. He was sweaty and gross like the rest of the boys.

"Hey, can we go get pizza with some of the other kids?" He practically vibrated with excitement.

"Please…" Paul joined in.

"It's tradition." Emmett said, surprising me. I hadn't seen him come up behind me.

I spun to face him. He was looking down at me, eagerly awaiting my response.

"Well, who am I to stomp on tradition?" I was looking up at him, the words quietly falling from my lips.

Sam hugged my waist. "Race you to the car, Paul!" The boys took off running.

I helped Emmett pick up the last of the equipment.

"You don't have to do that." He said as I stuffed a ball into a mesh bag.

"Hey, it's no problem. I spend all day cleaning up after kids, remember?"

***

Sam and I met Emmett and Paul at a nearby pizza place. They were already seated at a table when we got inside. We walked over to them, Sam slid into the inside so he would be across from Paul. I shoved in close to Sam, I didn't want to risk my knees or feet getting tangled up in Emmett's enormous appendages.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, looking around.

"Are you kidding me? Like any of those ice queens would come to a pizza place. At the beginning of the season a few of them came, but they just huffed about the fat content of the food and asked where the salad was on the menu. They were none too pleased to learn that the only salad was a pasta salad." He snorted.

"I'm sure, they, uh, could just pass and let their kids have fun, though, right?"

"You'd think so… So, Ms. Swan, what'll it be?"

Fuck his saying my name that way was sexy. Just like he was one of my kids in school.

Emmett sat behind a school desk, looking guilty. "Mr. McCarty," I began, "Your behavior was totally inappropriate for school. Whatever can we do to teach you a lesson?" I stalked over to him, stilettos clicking on the floor, dampness building between my thighs. I reached Emmett at his desk, the hemline of my skirt just above his eye level…

"Ms. Swan?"

My eyes snapped back into focus. Shit. Emmett was grinning at me. "Um, call me Bella, please. My kids call me Ms. Swan."

The waitress came to take our order. Emmett ordered a beer, and Sam and Paul each got lemonades. I suggested we share a pitcher, and Emmett really seemed to love that idea, holding up his huge hand for a high-five. I happily obliged. I knew his hands were gargantuan, but compared to mine, I felt almost child-sized.

"What kind of pizza do we want?" His eyes looked up from the menu, capturing mine.

"Pepperoni!" Both boys shouted together. Emmett chuckled and turned to me.

"Is that okay? I'll share something different with you if you want."

I sure as hell wanted to share something different with him.

"Pepperoni is fine." I said simply.

"What, no vegetable mandates from the teach?"

"Ew, no. There are few veggies with any business on a pizza, and none of them have any real nutritional value anyway. If they want pepperoni, its fine with me. I usually get sausage and black olives, so it's not really that different."

Emmett nodded and waived over the waitress. She returned with our drinks and asked for our dinner order.

Emmett ordered for us, ordering the pepperoni for the boys and the sausage with black olives for us. After the waitress walked away, he turned to me, shyly. "That's my favorite, too, so I just figured…why not?"

"Sounds good to me. Here's to good pizza!" I said, holding up my mug.

"And beautiful women." I blushed as I touched my glass to his and took a sip. His eyes didn't stop looking at me for several minutes. I worried that the blush which currently colored my cheeks would become a permanent fixture if I didn't calm down soon.

The food came, and we ate while making very comfortable conversation between ourselves and with the boys. I knew we were winding down, getting ready to leave, and I was sad. Ridiculous.

"Oh," I said, remembering my conversation with Alice, "I talked to Alice, and she confirmed about the party this weekend. Paul is definitely invited. There will be a pool party for a group of kids, and their parents if they want to stay," I paused and looked up, taking in Emmett's face, "And then any boys who want to stay the night, can."

Sam and Paul exchanged a fist bump of happiness.

"Sounds good," Emmett said, then more quietly so only I would hear, "Will you be there?"

"Of course. It's my niece & nephew's birthday. Not only do I want to be there, as I have every year of their lives, but Alice would murder me in my sleep if I shirked out of helping with the party. She may try to make me stay the night, but I stayed last year for Emily's slumber party, so I think I'll be excused from service this time. What do I know about boy sleepovers, anyway?"

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "C'mon, Bella. You must know something about boy sleepovers," He teased.

"Uhh…" I stuttered, "I meant little boys, ya know, since I never was one. Big boys…are a different story." Did I just say that? Out loud? Please, if there is a God, please let me have stopped after talking about little boy sleepovers. I wanted to crawl under the table and never, ever, come out.

My phone rang. Thank fucking God. It was Alice. I looked at Sam and mouthed the word "mom." He rolled his eyes, and I laughed.

"Good evening dear sister of mine." I was irrationally perturbed by the interruption.

"It is, is it? Just how good?" She was taunting me. Already.

"Yep, we just finished the pizza and will be on our way in a few minutes," I said, not willing to give her any ammunition.

"Uh huh. So who is it, Bel? A dad?" She exaggerated the last word, so it sounded three times longer than necessary. How juvenile.

"Yep, well we'll be there soon." Bella code for I can't talk right now, Alice.

"You will spill."

"See you then." I hung up, narrowly containing the urge to roll my eyes at her.

When we got to the Whitlock house, Jasper greeted me at the front door. He took Sam's backpack, instructed him to get to his homework and then get cleaned up for the night. I kissed Sam's cheek, and he scurried off.

Alice traipsed in a few moments later, a pitcher of margaritas and two glasses in hand. Uh oh, she meant business. "Margaritas on a school night?"

"If that's what it takes to get you to spill, dear sister." She squeezed a lime wedge around one of the glasses and then dipped it in a plate of salt and twirled it around so it was well coated. That woman knew I couldn't resist a salty margarita.

"There's really nothing to tell. You've been there, you know what happens." Please drop it, please drop it, I chanted.

"I'm not interested in the harpies, Bel. Those demon spawn can go to hell where they belong. I want to know about him." Her eyes were wide like a predator's.

"Him, who?" I asked, trying to sound innocent. "I never said anything about a him."

"You didn't have to. I know you. Never forget that. Now are you going to tell me, or am I supposed to guess? If I have to guess, it'll just be worse on you in the long run, so you should just tell me already." She'd moved, so she was sitting on her heels, ready to pounce.

"Alice, I don't know what you think there is to tell, but I do appreciate the fabulous margarita. You make them the best. Better than that Presidente margarita at Chili's."

"Nu uh huh, there was someone. Who was it? Mr. Crowley? He's not bad… Mr. Black? Kinda old, but I guess you never know." She eyed me over, looking for a sign before she continued. "Coach McCarty?"

My eyes grew wide, defying my mind's instructions to keep their cool. My cheeks flushed in betrayal. Shit.

"Aha! I fucking knew it" She shook her fist that wasn't wrapped around the margarita glass, turned and screeched into the house, "Jasper! I was right!"

"Way to go, babe! Nice pick, Bel. He's a nice guy." Jasper's disembodied voice carried out from the house.

I wanted to crawl away and die. "Jasper knows?"

"Of course. It was his idea, actually. He knew you two would hit it off." If she smiled any bigger, her jaw would crack.

"Now wait just a minute! This was a set up? You fucking set me up? Jasper wasn't running late at work was he? Did Emily even have dance today? Oh my God. Did Emmett know about this?" I was furious. And embarrassed, which only made me angrier.

"Emmett, is it?" She chuckled. My fucking sister chuckled. At me.

"Whatever, Alice. Did he or not?" I had no patience for her amusement.

"No. He didn't know anything."

I sighed my relief. At least we were set up unbeknownst to us both. "Alice, you had no right to do that!"

"Oh just shut up and thank me, Bella. You liked him. He liked you. What's the big deal?"

I stared at her while trying to find an answer. She was kinda right. In a way. I mean, it was wrong to manipulate me. But he was fuckhot. That had to count for something. "Is there even a birthday party this weekend?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ok now, miss ego. Of course there is a birthday party. I am a good parent, and I choose to annually celebrate my children's birth. Setting you two up is just icing."

We were quiet after that as we drained the rest of the pitcher. They were some damn fine margaritas.

The rest of the week went by without incident. Well, one of my students tried to look up my skirt, but that was nothing new.

I sat at my desk Friday afternoon, wrapping up the week, anxious to get home. Tomorrow was Saturday. I'd see him tomorrow. Probably. Maybe.

I signed the detention slip for the upskirt-looking punk, Mike, and let my mind wander. "Emmett?"

He sat at the small desk, crammed in uncomfortably, his huge body dwarfing the structure. "Yes, Ms. Swan?"

"Emmett, do you know why you are in detention today?"

"Yes, Ms. Swan, for trying to peek up your skirt."

"That's right. You need to be taught a lesson."

"I'll do anything you say, Ms. Swan."

I pushed back from the desk. "Come here."

He rose from the desk and walked to me. I pushed on his large shoulders, and he knelt before me.

"You will treat the pussy properly, not by indiscriminately peeking at it. You will worship it, treat it with the respect that it deserves."

He licked his lips. "Yes, Ms. Swan."

His hand tentatively crept up my thigh, disappearing under my skirt until it reached the soft fabric of my panties.

"Can I start with my fingers, Ms. Swan?"

"You may." I lifted my hips slightly, so he could slide my underwear down.

His finger trailed back up my thigh, slowing as it reached the apex. A finger brushed my lips, and I quivered.

"Ms. Swan?"

"Yes, Emmett." I breathed out breathlessly.

"Actually it's Carlisle. I'm the new substitute history teacher."

Oh my God. What had he heard? Seen? I quickly surveyed myself and everything seemed to be in order. "Of course, what can I do for you?" I tried to restore my breathing to normal.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I know its Friday and you're probably eager to go home, but could you show me where to find a detention slip?" He stared at me, hands shoved in his pants pockets.

I reached to one in the stack on my desk and grabbed one. I walked over to him, noticing his perfect blonde hair and chiseled jaw. He was good looking, definitely, but no Emmett.

"Any word on how long she'll be out?" The regular history teacher was out on medical leave after having an ovary removed.

"They're estimating six weeks. Thank you for your help, Ms. Swan." He smiled shyly.

I nodded and gave him a small return smile. "Bella, call me Bella, please." I stuck out my hand.

"Carlisle. Nice to meet you, Bella." We shook hands and parted ways.

As I drove home, I contemplated why I'd had such a strong reaction to Emmett and such a lack of reaction to Carlisle. The man was no doubt good looking. I estimated him to be in his early thirties. He was well dressed. He appeared to be in really good shape. I bet women hit on him constantly.

What was it about Emmett that had me all hot and bothered? He was obviously handsome, but so was Carlisle. He coached kids' soccer, so he must like kids; but Carlisle was a teacher, so he must like kids too. Emmett was confident. He was funny, sarcastic and smart. He was polite. He was a good dad…I wondered why his marriage had ended. He seemed like such a catch.

I was rounding the corner to my street when Alice called.

"I haven't forgotten, dear sister." She always accused me of forgetting important things. I wasn't going to let her get the accusation in this time.

"Never thought you did, not with your man going to be there."

I sighed. "He's not my man, Alice."

"But you want him to be." Boy did she know how to just jump right in there, not wasting a single word on pleasantries.

"I don't know, Alice. Maybe I'm just horny. It's been, what? Months?" That was true enough.

"Nah, it's more than that. He called here today, you know."

My heart skipped a beat. "What? Why?"

"To verify that Paul could spend the night. He also asked if you were going to be here."

"He did not." My heart pounded out a furious beat.

"Yes, he did, dear sister. He wants you. I know it. So what are you going to wear? I know he'll be free that night. So you'd better make it count!"

I hadn't thought about clothes at all. I was sure I'd find something. Probably jeans.

"And no jeans!" Alice exclaimed into the phone. "You can do better than jeans. Maybe a little sundress? It is a pool party."

"We'll see Alice. Hey, um, do you know why he got a divorce?" I hated to be gossipy, but I was dying to know.

She paused before answering. "Well, I've heard a few stories. One story goes that his ex worked all the time, and they drifted apart. Some say she had an affair."

"And the other story?"

Another pause. "Well, the other says he was the one who cheated."

I knew he was too perfect to be true. "I see." I barely squeaked out the words. My throat closed up, tears threatened to fall.

"You should just ask him Bella. People make mistakes. You both need the chance to get this out there in the open if you have a chance at anything besides a fuck."

Maybe a fuck was all I needed, and then I could move on. If he was a cheater, I didn't want anything to do with him. I'd been down that road before.

Alice must've known what I was thinking. "Bella, you would not be happy after just screwing the guy. You'd want more. You need to know."

"I'll think about it. I love you. Talk to you tomorrow." I pushed the end button and pulled into the driveway of my townhouse.

I changed into sweats and grabbed some leftover Chinese food. I opened a beer as I waited for the food to warm. Cold Chinese food was too much for my stomach to handle. I needed my MSG warm, thank you very much.

I scrolled through the channels mindlessly until I came upon Top Gun just moments from the beloved volleyball scene. As I watched the glistening, beautiful bodies on the screen, minus Tom Cruise because he freaks me out now, my mind couldn't help but wander back to its favorite place, Emmett. Val Kilmer was no longer on the screen… no... now it was Emmett freaking McCarty, and goddamn, was he hot. I wanted to lick the fucking screen. Too soon, as always, the scene was over, and the regular movie bullshit was back on. I flipped off the TV and headed to bed, my favorite battery operated boyfriend in hand. Two orgasms and a half dozen Emmett fantasies later – that shower one was especially nice – and I fell off to sleep.

Saturday morning came fresh and new, and my brain was blissfully free of worry and anxiety about the party later that night. I went for a jog, called my folks, graded papers and picked up around my apartment. I was zooming along, iPod blaring, when I got my first dose of anguish around noon with Alice's call.

As I pounded on the iHome's remote to get the thing to shut up, I checked the caller ID and sighed.

"Hello darling sister." I snipped into the phone. I resented the intrusion.

"Bella, are you getting ready yet? Have you even picked out your outfit or showered?"

Sometimes she needed to be reminded that I, too, was an adult, and I was perfectly fucking capable of getting places on time and appropriately attired. "No, Alice I haven't. I'm cleaning, working around my house, doing things which need to be done. The party isn't for hours yet, and it's not like I'm going to dress up for your son's birthday pool party. It's a kid's party, not a gala opening."

"I…know that." She sounded small.

Damn, now I felt bad. I'd hurt her feelings. "I didn't mean anything by it, Al. I just decided last night while, uh, getting ready for bed, I wasn't going to stress over this whole Emmett thing. He probably cheated on his wife. He probably is really a jerk. He probably really just wants to get into my pants. So, I decided that I wouldn't think of him as relationship material, fuck, for that matter I'm trying to not think of him at all."

"Sure have put a whole lot of thought into not thinking about him, haven't we?" She was back to her normal snarky self.

"No." I defended.

"Uh huh. Okay, Bells, whatever you say. Just be here at two, okay? Oh, and can you bring ice?"

"Sure. See you then." I hung up and sat down. Maybe I really had put too much thought into this. I liked him. I was attracted to him. He seemed attracted to me. I stood and paced, deciding if I wanted to keep the 'I don't care' mantra or swap it out for the 'Que sera sera' mantra.

I wandered into my room and stood in front of my closet. We'd be outside, so that meant no jeans for me. I didn't want to be hot and sticky… well at least not from the sun. So, that left shorts, a skirt or a dress. I didn't own many casual skirts or dresses; most were for work, so that was a no. I selected a pair of black shorts and a deep red short sleeved collared shirt. I'd considered several more revealing or otherwise flirty shirts, but the reality was I was a teacher, and several of the parents from the school would be there. I had to put my penchant for slutting it up on the back burner for when I could do it in relative anonymity.

I arrived at Alice and Jasper's a few minutes before two. Alice looked totally frazzled, not like her usual self at all.

"Oh, thank God you're here. Emily threw up, and Sam refuses to get dressed in his new outfit. Jasper has been trying to set everything up while I've been dealing with the kids, and I'm not sure what he's been able to get done. I haven't had a chance to shower or get ready. Emily is in bed. Sam is... well honestly, I don't know."

I hugged her and nodded. "Got it. You go get ready."

She looked at me skeptically before turning and heading upstairs.

I found Jasper outside by the pool, setting up chairs. There were tablecloths set up on a few tables. There was a cooler on the deck, and the grill appeared clean. There were balloons tied to several of the chairs, and others placed around the pool area. It looked like he had things under control out there. I walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "You look like a regular kid's party planner, old man."

He smiled at me kindly. "I have been married to your sister for awhile now. I've learned a few things here and there." We hugged briefly, and he kissed me on the forehead.

"Since you've got it all under control out here, I'm going to head inside and see what I can do. I hear Emily is sick."

He frowned. "Yeah. She did puke a few hours ago. I'm not totally convinced she's sick though. I think it's hard on her, not being the center of attention." A look of shame mixed with sympathy washed over his face.

"I see." I said, contemplating. "Well, I sent Ali up to get ready, so I think I'll go do a little investigation and see if it's psychosomatic or not." I gave Jasper a squeeze on the arm and headed upstairs to Emily's room.

I found her lying on her bed under the comforter. Sam sat at the foot of her bed. I loved seeing those two together, one fending for the other. The power of the twin sense never ceased to amaze me. I sat down next to Sam and put my hand on Emily's forehead. "What's up, buttercup?" I asked, leaning down to kiss her nose.

"I don't feel too good, aunt Bella. I threw up a few minutes ago. It was gross." Her voice sounded weak, like she'd been crying.

"How do you feel now?" I noticed her party dress was hanging on the back of her closet door. It was so cute; pink and shiny, frilly. I looked from the dress back to her and found her looking longingly at the dress.

"I feel a little better, I think. It's a pretty dress, huh? Mommy let me invite a few friends over, too, and I'm supposed to spend the night with Leah." She sat up on her elbows and took a few trial breaths. "See, I can sit up and not get sick."

Sam wasn't buying it. "If you're sick, it's ok. Your friends will understand. You can spend the night with Leah when you feel better. I'll miss you at the party, but I'll save you a big piece of cake. I don't want you to get sicker." He scooched up to hug her. "Eww. Your breath stinks."

Emily and I both giggled. "You are so sweet, Sam." I ruffled his hair. "You are not, however, dressed. I know for a fact that you have a brand new outfit waiting for you to put it on."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll go get ready. Em, if you feel better, if you really feel better, I hope you come downstairs to the party. If you think you're sick, though, I want you to rest up. I'll make sure your friends know what happened, and I'll make mom save you a big piece of cake. I don't want you to worry about not being there if you're not feeling good." He gulped some air and then reached down to hug her again. "If you do come down, though, make sure you brush your teeth!"

"What were you doing before you got sick? Did you feel okay earlier today?"

She looked down and fiddled with her bedspread. This was clearly not a question she wanted to answer.

"I won't do it again, I promise." She looked down at her intertwined fingers.

"Do what sweetie?" I rubbed her back, encouraging her to tell me what had happened.

She looked up into my eyes briefly, before returning to her hands. "I heard some girls at school saying that if you throw up, you'll stay skinny, like you and mommy. I want to be skinny, but I want to eat cake, too. I guess I forgot how sick it feels to get sick."

I couldn't believe elementary school girls were talking about bulimia. I needed to talk to Alice about this. I needed to talk to the other teachers, to the counselor, to the principal, but not tonight. Alice had enough on her plate, and worrying about this, tonight, would be too much. I decided to do as much damage control as I could.

"Emily, you are a perfectly wonderful little girl, and you are growing into a beautiful young woman. You don't need to give two thoughts about what those girls were talking about. You should enjoy your birthday cake. What you heard those girls talking about was a very bad idea. Throwing up should only be something you do when you're sick. Throwing up like that is called bulimia, and it can be very dangerous. Promise me you'll never do that again. You mean too much to me and to all the rest of your family and friends." I gathered her into my arms and squeezed her tightly.

"I promise. I didn't know it was so bad." She sniffled.

I looked down into her sad eyes. "It's just not healthy. Your mommy and I can tell you all about what can happen, if you want, tomorrow. Tonight, I know of a few certain someones who have friends coming over in a few minutes, and I know of a special young lady with a beautiful dress hanging on the back of her closet door, just waiting her."

She nodded and got up from the bed. "Thank you, aunt Bella."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. I love you." I got up and walked out, giving her some time to collect herself and get ready. I bumped into Jasper in the hallway.

"Everything alright in there?" He whispered to me, pointing to Emily's room.

"It will be, I think. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. She's not sick, though." I tried to smile, but the thought of her nearly lost innocence was weighing on me greatly. I patted Jasper on the back and headed downstairs.

A few of the guests had arrived. I showed the boys who were spending the night where to store their gear and showed the rest of the guests outside to the pool area. Jasper had some music on, and I was surprised by how current the selections were. Sam must've helped.

My mind was still reeling from the realization that elementary school girls could be so wrapped up in vanity, so worried about looking thin...for whom? School aged boys hadn't noticed them yet. That only left the other girls. God, it started so young.

I was absently toying with a balloon when a large hand wrapped itself around my waist. "Hiya, teach." The gravelly voice went straight through me, raising goosebumps along the way.

I turned in his hand to see Emmett's dimples in full force, luscious lips parted, aquamarine eyes dancing at me. What was I upset about a minute ago?

"I had it on good authority you'd be here." He smirked.

"Yeah, because I told you." I teased back.

"Well, that, and I followed up with Jasper to see if I could do anything. He only let me load the iPod." He shrugged, hand still firmly attached to my waist.

"That explains it." I said, mostly to myself.

He raised an eyebrow. "The music. I didn't think Jasper had any idea what kids found relevant." I explained.

He just smiled at me. "So you approve, then?"

"Well, it's not exactly my cup of tea, but it's not my party now is it? Seems to be working for them pretty well." I motioned over to the small groups of kids huddled around the room. Lots of heads were bobbing to the beat.

Sam walked up to Emmett and I. "Have you seen my mom and dad yet? Some of the guys want to go in the pool."

Emmett and I exchanged a brief glance. "I think it'd be fine if you guys got in the pool. Make sure everyone grabs their towels."

Sam hopped up and down excitedly and then gave me a quick hug and ran off to tell his friends who gave a loud "Yeah!" a moment after he'd arrived.

"I think we'd better head on outside, then." Emmett said, releasing me and walking towards the pool. When he realized I wasn't walking beside him, he paused and looked to find me.

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," I explained. "I'll have to do a little double duty until Jasper and Alice surface, keeping an eye out for the door." I wondered what was keeping them. Alice was the consummate hostess. This was unlike her.

As if he could read my mind, Emmett mumbled, "I wonder what's keeping them. I hope everything is okay. Where's Emily anyway?"

I sighed. "I'll tell you later. Keep an eye on the kids outside for me, okay?" There were other parents out there, but I trusted Emmett to keep them safe.

He nodded and headed outside. With the vast majority of the kids outside now, I had a little time and space to gather my thoughts. Emmett was right, Emily, Alice and Jasper were all missing, and this troubled me.

I greeted a few more guests, including one of Emily's friends. I showed her where to stow the gift she brought and told her I'd go check on Emily. Once upstairs, I knocked on Emily's door. No answer. I walked down the hallway to the bathroom to find Emily perched on top of the vanity, Alice brushing her hair. Relief washed over me. "Rachel is here" I told her. Emily bounded giddily in Alice's hands.

"Give me one more minute, Em, and you'll be free." Alice smiled brightly, she loved doting on Emily like this.

I turned and headed back downstairs. Jasper had reappeared and had ushered a few of the newcomers outside. I guess my job there was done.

I headed outside to find Emmett, in the pool. He splashed and joked, generally enjoying himself with the kids. So sexy.

The sun reflected off the drops of water running down his strong, massive back. It was nicely tanned, but not brown or leathery. There was an obvious demarcation from where his tee shirt usually blocked out some of the tan. Fuck, I thought. Even his farmer's tan was sexy.

I was really enjoying just watching him. I loved how he interacted with the kids, not hiding behind a false sense of superiority or keeping up appearances for the adults. If there was anything I had come to learn about Emmett, he was true to himself. I respected that. My mind wandered back to the circumstances of his divorce. He seemed so grounded, so earnest. Maybe he hadn't cheated.

"There you are!" Adonis himself was looking at me, half out of the pool, hands pushing him up off the pool's ledge. His arms bulged, and I got a perfect view of his chiseled chest and stomach. Holy fuck. That man was ripped.

I waived meekly, and he motioned me over. I walked to the edge of the pool where he was and stood, looking down at him. He relaxed so that his elbow was now supporting him, curved his hand around my calf and then rubbed it a bit up and down. The cool water felt good. His big hands on me didn't feel too shabby, either.

Unsurprisingly, my mind wandered off. I imagined his hands roaming further up my leg, up, and further up, until the pool wasn't the only source of wetness in the vicinity. I had to stop that.

"Looks like you're having a good time." I was trying desperately to keep my mind G-rated. This was a kids' party for fuck's sake.

"Yeah, you know, I am. These kids are great. Too bad you didn't bring a suit, though. That would make this so much better." He wagged his eyebrows at me suggestively. His flirting would not help my quest to keep my mind out the gutter.

"Oh." I said, my hand flying to cover my gaping mouth. "Well… I, uh, don't really, um do cannonballs much. I'm more of a water gymnastics and diving games kinda girl."

"You mean like when someone swims through your legs?" His tongue swept across his bottom lip. I could just imagine his silky hair floating between my legs. Fuck. Yes.

"Yeah, stuff, uh, like that is fun." I knew he could see right through me. He had to know where my dirty mind had gone.

"That can be a lot of fun. Especially when the, uh, swimmer is good at it and really takes his time." He was so onto me. And he was egging me on.

"It's been awhile since I've gone swimming." I admitted.

"Me too." He returned. I studied his face for signs of deception but found none.

"I wouldn't have guessed." We weren't talking about swimming, and we both knew it. I was a little surprised that we were discussing our recent sexual histories right now, but I could go with it.

He frowned a bit. "Well, I hope you didn't think I was only interested in swimming with you, because, Bella, I'm sure you're wonderful in the pool, but there is an entire non-swimming related universe out there, and as much as I'm dying to go swimming with you, because I am, I want so much more than that."

I was shocked. Simply shocked. He'd just put it all out there for me. The ball, or flipper as it were, was in my pond, as it were. If we were going to take this anywhere, I had to know.

"Why did it happen, Emmett? Your divorce." I was ashamed of myself that it mattered so much, but it did. Emmett was true to himself. I had to be, too.

He took a deep breath and tugged on my leg, asking me to squat down closer to him. "This isn't exactly how I'd imagined this conversation going, but that's okay. I just don't want Paul to hear all of the dirty details, but I will be honest with you, Bella. We're shot before we start if there isn't trust."

I nodded, bracing myself for the worst.

"His mom, Tanya, had an affair."

It was her. Her, not him. Her. I tried to contain my glee. Happiness did not seem to be an appropriate response to learning about someone else's pain. I guess I didn't contain myself entirely though because he returned my smile and laughed a bit. "Sure, laugh at my pain, that's real nice." He teased.

"It's not that. I mean, it's horrible that she cheated on you. It's just. Well, I worried it was something worse." I had to be honest. "I'd heard rumors it was you who cheated."

He pursed his lips and looked into my eyes. "That's probably because the evil wench brigade who called themselves my neighbors probably saw strange women coming in and out of my house."

My brow furrowed quizzically. "But you said.."

He cut me off. "And I'm not lying to you. She cheated. On me. With women. Apparently several women. When the rumors started flying, I thought it'd be easier to protect Paul by letting them think it was me if they wanted to. Protecting him was more important than protecting my reputation. Kids can be mean, you know."

"Don't I know it." I spat out, unthinking. Recovering myself, I returned my eyes to Emmett's. It was my turn to profess my feelings. "You're something else, Coach. You're gorgeous, polite, funny and self sacrificing."

He blushed. "I don't know about all of that, but if it means you want to spend some time with me, I'll take it happily."

"Might you be free this evening?" I smiled so hard I thought my face was going to break.

"It so happens that my son is engaged tonight, so it would be my pleasure to accompany you anywhere. Anywhere, anything, anytime." He reached over and placed a kiss on my ankle.

"Oh," I started, placing my hand on the side of his face, "I think the pleasure will be mutual."

"So, what do you want to do later?" He was drawing wet patterns onto my skin.

"It doesn't really matter. How about drinks and then a dip in the pool."

His eyes went wide and then darkened. "I don't know, Bella. I'm not a dip in the pool kind of guy. More like a marathon swimmer."

I knew then I'd die a happy woman.

***

A/N

Huge thanks to Annanabanana, for mega quick yet superb beta'ing.


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